Maltitol

Maltitol is a sugar free, reduced calorie sweetener made from corn. It has a pleasant sugar-like taste and sweetness. Maltitol has about half the calories of sugar and is useful for making a variety of sugar free and reduced calorie foods.??Maltitol is a unique sweetener because it not only tastes like sugar, but it also acts like sugar and provides bulk or volume like sugar. Hence, it is used as a direct cup-for-cup replacement for sugar.??Because maltitol so closely replicates the functional properties of sugar, it provides superior results across a wide variety of food product applications, particularly in cooking, baking and candy making. ??Maltitol is very suitable for diabetic, low carbohydrate and reduced calorie diets. Maltitol does not promote tooth decay.
Maltitol is a reduced calorie buk sweetner with sugar-like taste and
sweetness. Its stability, high sweetness, and structure make it
suitable for a variety of reduced-calorie, reduced-fat and sugar-free
foods. Maltitol does not promote tooth decay.

Maltitol is a member of a family of bulk sweeteners
known as polyols or sugar alcohols. It has a pleasant sweet
taste--remarkably similar to sucrose. Maltitol is about 90% as sweet as
sugar, non-cariogenic, and significantly reduced in calories. Maltitol
is especially useful in the production of sweets, including sugarless
hard candies, chewing gum, chocolates,* baked goods and ice cream. It
is available worldwide from Cerestar, Roquette, SPI Polyols, Inc. and
Towa Chemical Industry Co., LTD.

Maltitol is made by the hydrogenation of maltose which is obtained from
starch. Like other polyols, it does not brown or caramelize as do
sugars.Maltitol?s high sweetness allows it to be used without
other sweeteners. It exhibits a negligible cooling effect in the mouth
compared to most other polyols. Although maltitol is often used to
replace sugars in the manufacture of sugar-free foods, it may also be
used to replace fat as it gives a creamy texture to food.

Benefits of Maltitol

Does not promote tooth decay -- Maltitol, like other polyols,
is resistant to metabolism by oral bacteria which break down sugars and
starches to release acids that may lead to cavities or erode tooth
enamel. Maltitol, therefore, is non-cariogenic. The usefulness of
polyols, including maltitol, as alternatives to sugars and as part of a
comprehensive program including proper dental hygiene has been
recognized by the American Dental Association. The FDA has approved the
use of a "does not promote tooth decay" health claim in labeling for
sugar-free foods that contain maltitol or other polyols.

Maltitol

Bulk sweetener with a clean sweet taste similar to sucrose
in intensity

Reduced-calorie sweetener with only 2.1 calories per gram

Useful in formulating a variety of low-calorie, low-fat and
sugar-free foods

Especially useful in the manufacture of sucrose-free
chocolate

May be useful for people with diabetes because it does not
raise blood glucose or insulin levels

Does not contribute to the formation of dental caries

Useful in the Diets of People with Diabetes -- Control of
blood glucose, lipids and weight are the three major goals of diabetes
management today. Maltitol is slowly absorbed. Therefore, when maltitol
is used, the rise in blood glucose and the insulin response associated
with the ingestion of glucose is significantly reduced. The reduced
caloric value of maltitol (2.1 calories per gram versus 4.0 for sugar)
is consistent with the objective of weight control. Products sweetened
with maltitol in place of sugar may be useful in providing a wider
variety of reduced-calorie and sugar-free choices to people with
diabetes.

Recognizing that diabetes is complex and requirements for its
management may vary between individuals, the usefulness of maltitol
should be discussed between individuals and their health care
providers. Foods sweetened with maltitol may contain other ingredients
which also contribute calories and other nutrients. These must be
considered in meal planning.

Reduced Calorie Alternative to Sugar - Absorption of
maltitol by the human body is slow, allowing part of the ingested
maltitol to reach the large intestine where metabolism yields fewer
calories. Therefore, unlike sugar which contributes four calories per
gram, the caloric contribution of maltitol is only 2.1 calories per
gram. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated it does not
object to the use of this value for maltitol in nutrition labeling of
foods. For a product to qualify as "reduced calorie" in the United
States, it must have at least a 25 percent reduction in calories.
Maltitol is, therefore, useful in formulating "reduced calorie"
products.

The lower caloric value of maltitol and other polyols is recognized in
other countries as well. For example, the European Union has provided a
Nutritional Labeling Directive stating that all polyols, including
maltitol, are assigned a caloric value of 2.4 calories per gram.

Useful in the Production of Sucrose Free/Reduced Calorie Chocolate -
Before the development of maltitol, the production of
"sucrose-free" or "no sugar added" chocolate proved difficult because
of the lack of a polyol with the physical, chemical and organoleptic
properties of sucrose. Maltitol?s anhydrous crystalline form, low
hygroscopicity, high melting point and stability allow it to replace
sucrose in high quality chocolate coatings, confectionery, bakery
chocolate and ice cream.

Safety

A petition to affirm the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status of
maltitol has been accepted for filing by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. This petition describes the use of maltitol as a
flavoring agent, formulation aid, humectant, nutritive sweetener,
processing aid, sequestrant, stabilizer and thickener,
surface-finishing agent and texturizer. In particular, the petition
addresses the use of maltitol at levels of up 99.5% in hard candy and
cough drops, 99% in sugar substitutes, 85% in soft candies, 75% in
chewing gum, 55% in non-standardized jams and jellies and 30% in
cookies and sponge cake.

The safety of maltitol as a food ingredient is substantiated by
numerous studies in both humans and animals. The Joint Food and
Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on
Food Additives (JECFA) has reviewed the safety data and concluded that
maltitol is safe. JECFA has established an acceptable daily intake
(ADI) for maltitol of "not specified," meaning no limits are placed on
its use. An ADI "not specified" is the safest category in which JECFA
can place a food ingredient. Many countries which do not have their own
agencies to review food additive safety adopt JECFA?s decisions.

The Scientific Committee for Food of the European Union (EU) published
a comprehensive assessment of sweeteners in 1985, concluding that
maltitol is acceptable for use, also without setting a limit on its
use.

As with other polyols, maltitol may produce a laxative effect when
consumed at very high levels. An information statement similar to the
one required for other polyols is recommended in the GRAS petition for
foreseeable consumption of greater than 100 grams per day of maltitol.

Multiple Ingredient Approach to
Calorie Control

Americans continue to demand good-tasting products with less calories
and fat. The development and use of a variety of safe low-calorie
sweeteners, bulking agents, fat replacers and other low-calorie
ingredients help meet this consumer demand. The availability of many
low-calorie ingredients allows food manufacturers to choose the most
appropriate ingredient, or combination of ingredients, for a given
product.

Maltitol works well with other ingredients and may be synergistic with
other sweeteners. This means the combination of the sweeteners is
sweeter than the sum of the individual sweeteners and results in
synergistic blends which provide taste, economic and stability
advantages.

Future

Maltitol?s good taste, reduced caloric value, versatility and its high
level of sweetness compared to most other polyols facilitates its use
in a wide variety of products. With the increasing demand for products
reduced in calories and fat, maltitol?s use is expected to increase.

*As used in this paper, chocolate refers to chocolate flavored
confectionery.